4 of 11This 1914 Detroit Electric Model 46 Cape Top roadster is one of only three known to survive.

Photo by Graham Kozak

5 of 11Moon, a St. Louis-based automaker, built this rare 6-50 Five-Passenger Touring car in 1924.

Photo by Graham Kozak

6 of 11The buyer of this original 1955 Packard Caribbean will be able to enjoy a few months of top-down cruising.

Photo by Graham Kozak

7 of 11No auction would be complete without a Duesenberg, like this 1930 Model SJ Convertible Victoria.

Photo by Graham Kozak

8 of 11This 1948 Hudson Commodore Eight Custom Station Wagon is a modern realization of an unbuilt postwar design.

Photo by Graham Kozak

9 of 11The St. John's auction preview day allowed enthusiasts and potential bidders to inspect all lots to be offered.

Photo by Graham Kozak

10 of 11For an estimated $70,000-$90,000, this 1928 Rolls-Royce Springfield Phantom I Tilbury Saloon will carry its new owner in style.

Photo by Graham Kozak

11 of 11This 1928 Cadillac V8 Town Sedan had armor and bullet-resistant glass installed to protect its original owner, Al Capone.

Photo by Graham Kozak

The Concours d'Elegance of America will take place Sunday, July 29, at the Inn at St. John's in Plymouth, Mich. The prestigious show is preceded by a high-end auction--RM Auctions is set to offer 74 vehicles on Saturday, July 28.

A preview event gave potential bidders and enthusiasts the opportunity to inspect vehicles before they cross the block. Lots range from a 1907 Locomobile Model E roadster to a 2005 Ford GT, with Packards, Cadillacs, Lincolns and more filling out the field.

Though seemingly no premier auction is complete without a Duesenberg--in this case a 1930 Model SJ Convertible Victoria--unusual vehicles such as the steam-powered 1911 Stanley Model 63 Toy Tonneau were also on display.

Pay an estimated $125,000 for $175,000 for the Stanley, and you'll also receive a document containing step-by-step instructions for firing its boiler and getting it on the road.

The Stanley isn't the only alternative-power vehicle set to cross the block. Four early electric vehicles--a 1912 Baker Special Extension Coupe, a 1922 Milburn Electric Light Brougham, a 1918 Detroit Electric Model 75B Brougham and a rare 1914 Detroit Electric Model 46 Cape Top roadster--will also be offered.

There are a few exceptionally interesting vehicles tucked between gleaming full classics. The 1948 Hudson Commodore Eight custom station wagon, for example, looks like something a postwar consumer could have driven off a dealer lot--except that Hudson never actually built such a vehicle.

Instead, owner Bill Eggert had the vehicle custom made based on an unrealized 1948 design by Hudson designer Don Butler. The wagon mates a body from a conventional Hudson Commodore sedan with a custom wood frame and paneling. The result may prove impressive enough to meet its estimated sale price of $150,000 to $200,000.

Buyers looking for a car with plenty of presence but without a six- or seven-figure price tag might consider the 1928 Rolls-Royce Springfield Phantom I Tilbury Saloon. The stately vehicle, which features an American-built body, seems like a relative steal at an estimated $70,000 to $90,000.

The auction features too many cars to list here, but you can find information on all lots in the digital catalog. If you discover a vehicle you simply must have, you can still register for the auction online--and thanks to online bidding, you need not be at St. John's to participate in Saturday's action.

Graham Kozak
- Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they're doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too.
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